Once the best-known ex-wife in America, Ursula Parrott (1899-1957) was a best-selling author, Hollywood screenwriter, and headline-grabber. The press covered her new books, Hollywood deals, marriages and divorces, and numerous run-ins with the law. She was Radcliffe-educated; had four optimistic walks down the aisle (and back); piloted for the Civilian Air Corps during World War II; co-founded a weekly rural Connecticut newspaper; and traveled the world, including an extended story-collecting trip to Russia in the 1930s. She also worked as a screenwriter in New York and Hollywood; her words gave Norma Shearer her only Academy Award and launched Jimmy Stewart’s career as a lead actor. Dr. Marsha Gordon will talk about how she discovered Parrott and the challenges faced conducting research about her while writing Becoming the Ex-Wife: The Unconventional Life & Forgotten Writings of Ursula Parrott. This presentation will be richly illustrated with photos, archival materials, and movie clips from Hollywood’s golden age.

Recommended Reading (Optional): Becoming the Ex-Wife: The Unconventional Life & Forgotten Writings of Ursula Parrott, Marsha Gordon

Registration deadline: March 20